


Run and They Will Follow

by evanhansensfavoritetree



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 06:31:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15790914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evanhansensfavoritetree/pseuds/evanhansensfavoritetree
Summary: Alexander Hamilton was dropped into yet another foster home, he's been moved from house to house and he's never truly felt at home; until now. Dropped on George and Martha's doorstep Alex will find love, friendship, acceptance, and finally a truly safe place but when dark secrets from the past return to haunt him, can Alex hold on to the perfect life he's discovered?





	Run and They Will Follow

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all so this fanfic is still in the works but I hope you enjoy it and I can't promise anything on my upload schedule (because I'm a mess)

The beautiful Washington landscape caused trees to speed by, creating a curtain of deep greens in the small car windows. Some twangy country song was playing on the radio but the fluttering in my chest kept me from discerning exactly what it was. 

“Are you excited Alexander?” Ms. Kiana asked. I shrugged into the backseat mirror.

“Alex just promise me you’ll try here, alright? You’re a bright kid.” Her smile is radiant but I can see the hesitation in her eyes from here. The curtain of green slows as we pull up to a medium sized, white, antique looking home. I unbuckle my seatbelt and make my way out of the safety of Ms. Kiara’s car. The house gets more impressive as we walk up. The air hitches in my throat. Even the door knockers are intimidating. I watch closely as the door handle turns and a man emerges.

“Hello Ms. Kiana, come on in.” The man says, his smile wide. The butterflies in my stomach swirl into a tornado as I am led inside. The house seems really nice and I try to take in everything as we make our way through, there are family photos covering the walls and bookshelves bigger than any I’ve ever seen. I stop in front of the closest shelf and dig in as fast as I can. I was so lost in the world of literature that I didn’t even notice the man walking up behind me. 

“So you like reading?” He says as he lays a hand on my shoulder. I drop my shoulders out of habit and whirl around to face him. A moment of confusion passed over his eyes before his easy smile comes back. “We can go though some more books after you get settled in.” He says as I am once again led though the house. We make our way into the living room and I sit myself on the couch next to Ms. Kiara.

“Now that we’ve all sat down and got comfortable, let me introduce myself. My name is George Washington, my wife Martha had to run into work so you’ll meet her a little later and our son Gilbert is out right now but he should be back soon. We’re all very excited to have you here Alex.” Mr. Washington said with his hand outstretched and a beaming smile on his face. I carefully reached out and shook his hand, out of the corner of my eye I watched Ms. Kiara smile just as wide.

“Well Alex I’ll let you get settled in while I head out.” Ms. Kiara said still smiling. My heart begins to race again, I may not know her well but I know she’s safe and predictable. She walks out as Mr. Washington takes me up to my room. The upstairs is just a nice as the downstairs and there are still family photos on every wall. He opens the door to my room and I utter an audible gasp. It’s huge with three large bookshelves, fully stocked, and a bay window. I hear Washington laugh behind me and I almost smile, I walk straight over to the bookshelves and inspect every last volume. There are classics and biographies and so many more. I feel like I’m in heaven. 

“Alex I’ll leave you alone here and let you get settled in.” Washington said, the smile present in his voice.

“Alright Mr. Washington.”

“You can just call me George, son.” 

I was so lost in the books I didn’t even hear him walk out. I tossed my worn down duffle bag onto the bed. The zipper was hanging on by a thread, careful action when opening was imperative. I didn’t have much, just a few pieces of clothing, handful of pens and pencils, and my notebooks. I put my clothes away and laid the pens on the bedside table when the door opened again. I looked over to find a boy slightly taller than me with long and curly brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. His outfit was bright but not as shining as the grin on his face. “Hello there, you must be Alexander. My father told me about you, how are you liking it here?” The boy said speaking a mile a minute. 

“I’m sorry who are you?” I ask, putting my journal down. 

“Oh I am so sorry for not introducing myself, George and Martha call me Gilbert but you can just call me Lafayette.” 

“Well Lafayette it’s nice to meet you. This house is very nice.” 

“Have you been given the grand tour yet?”

I shook my head and Lafayette grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out of the room. I reluctantly followed, Lafayette seemed to have a story for every single room and didn’t hesitate before launching into each one. At the end of the hall there was an old oak door that seemed older than all the rest. It opened with a loud groan. There was a huge wooden desk in front of a wall of bookshelves and this extravagant chandelier.

“This is Martha’s office, she’s a lawyer so she spend a lot of time in here. I use it as an art studio, the light in here is perfect, Alex what are you doing?” Lafayette rambles as I make my way over to the nearest bookshelf and begin rummaging. It takes me a moment to reply and when I do it’s with a stack of books in my hand.

“Sorry I wasn’t paying attention. Do you think she would mind if I borrowed these?” I asked my eyes flickering between Laf and the bookshelves. 

“No she won’t mind at all.” Lafayette replied an easy smirk gracing his face when my eyes lit up. I nodded my head and immediately flopped down in the squishy office chair, diving right in to the book on top. Lafayette laughed for a second before he walked out but returned just a moment later with a book in his hand and some pencils. 

“Would you mind if I sketched in here?” Laf said as he sat down on the other side of the mahogany desk. I waved my hand lackadaisically. I heard the beginning of pencil scratching but I zoned out right into the world of criminal law.

It felt like no time before the light in the room got so low that Laf reached over to hit the light switch and not long after that the door opened.

“Boys are you in here?” A woman’s voice asked.

“Yes Martha.” Laf replies putting down his sketchbook.

I don’t even notice Martha walking in before she walks over and taps me on the shoulder. I jump back quickly and look up to see her smiling down at me. Her eyes are warm and she looks very kind. 

“Hello there Alex, I’m Martha. You seem to be enjoying those books, can I ask what they are?” 

I show her the two books I’ve already finished, one on criminal law and the other about traffic law, and the one I’m halfway through about the Federalist Papers.  
“How long have you two been in here?” 

“Only a few hours.”

“So Alex are you interested in law?” Martha asks clearly looking impressed.

I nod my head and she smiles. I see Lafayette grinning out of the corner of my eye which caused me to smile just a little. Martha tells us that dinner is ready and we all make our way to the kitchen. The smell of spaghetti hits us before we even hit the bottom of the stairs. George smiles as we walk in.

“Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes.” We take our seats at the tables and Lafayette launches into a run through of his entire day complete with frantic hand motions. They seem so happy. Martha nodding along with George while Lafayette talks. They are genuinely listening to him. You don’t want to ruin that do you? You know you will. You don’t deserve this. George turns his attention to me and I feel my hands starting to shake. 

“So Alex I’ve noticed you enjoy reading quite a lot.” I nod my head.

“What do you like to read?” Martha inquires. 

“Everything.” George laughs. I feel myself smile.

Dinner continues with George talking about his work as history teacher, Martha ranting about her most recent case with a guy “Who’s so obviously guilty it’s not even funny” and the occasional question thrown to me. When dinner’s done I excuse myself, grab the rest of my book pile from the office, and head to bed. 

I halfway through the last book when George knocks on my door. “Alex it’s midnight, you need to get some sleep.” 

“It’s Saturday night.” 

“That’s true but Gilbert wants to take you shopping tomorrow.” George smiles. I nod my head and close my book.

“Night Alex”

“Night George.”

He shuts off the light and closes the door when he leaves. I lay back and shut my eyes, I should at least make an attempt to sleep.

“You disgust me.” James shouts. I back myself into the corner of the room. I try to spot John but James is blocking my line of sight as he approaches me. His hand swings up and times slows at his slams down on my cheek. I’m biting back tears as his hand comes down again. Maria’s crying in the corner but she does nothing to stop her husband. He grabs my hair and tosses me onto the floor. I shut my eyes as tight as I can while he slams his steel toed boot into my abdomen. I chomp down on my tongue to avoid screaming.

“Alex wake up!”

I shoot out of bed and throw my arms around Lafayette. He rubs small circles on my back and mumbles words of comfort in French. 

“Tu parle français?” I ask when the tears stop falling. 

Lafayette eyes widen and a thousand watt grin breaks out on his face. “Mon petite lion, I grew up in France, the Washington’s adopted me three years ago. Do you want to try getting some more sleep?” 

I nod my head and Lafayette stood up to leave. I reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Stay?” He nods and slides in next to me. I rest my head on his shoulder and fall into the black abyss. 

When I wake up that morning Laf has his arms around me while I’m curled onto his chest. It’s nice. You’re going to ruin him, just like John. My hands start to shake and I feel like my throat is closing up. Right as I start to panic Lafayette pulls me closer. My hands are still shaking but at least I can breathe again. 

“Bonjour mon petite lion.” Laf mumbles groggily. I mumbled against his chest. Laf got up and made his way back to his room announcing that we’d be leaving in a few minutes to go look for clothes so I made my way over to the dresser to toss something on. I only had a few shirts and two pairs of jeans so I threw on the first things I saw and made my way over to Laf’s room. When I walked in Laf was sitting at the vanity applying some sharp winged eye liner. He looked at me and his eyes widened in panic. 

“Pronouns?” I ask with an easy smile. 

He looks like he’s about to cry so I rush over and hug him. “If you cry you’re gonna ruin that fierce liner.”

“They/Them but George and Martha don’t know yet so I need to, how you say, misgender me.”

“Alright well since you told me that, I’m gay.”

“Thank you for trusting me with that Mon petite lion.” 

I see a handful of flowers laid out on the vanity, snatch them up and place them sporadically through their hair. I tuck the last flower behind their ear and they smile at me in the vanity. I leave the room and head to the kitchen to scavenge up some food. Martha seems to have already left and George is grabbing his coat. 

“Hey Alex, I’ve gotta head to the grocery store. You and Gilbert all ready to go?” I nod my head and he walks over to give me a quick hug, which I don’t shy away from, and heads out the door. I wander over to the pantry and pull out a box of pop tarts. I climb up onto the counter and chow down while I wait for Laf. 

My eyes widen when Laf walks down the steps. They’re wearing knee high boots with a leather skirt and a white blouse. They come over, steal half my pop tart and sat down across from me up on the counter. 

“Lafayette you are as beautiful as flowers blooming in the early days of spring.”

“Vous me flattez, Mon petit lion. Are you ready to go shopping?” 

“Yeah I guess. Do you think we could stop at the bookstore while we’re out?” 

Laf nods as they grab their coat. I toss my scarf on and we make out way out into the cold. When we pull out of the drive way the curtain of green returns but this time instead of butterflies in my stomach I feel calm. Laf hits the radio and immediately my smile widens 

Sunday morning rain is falling, steal some covers share some skin  
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable, you twist to fit the mold that I am in

Lafayette turns to me in shock. “Keep your eyes on the road Hun.” I smirk. We get to the mall although he keeps looking over at me as I sing along to the radio. Laf parks, unbuckles his seatbelt and turns to face me. 

“What?” 

“Vous avez la voix d'un ange Mon lapin (you have the voice of an angel).”

“You flatter me Laf” I blush.

We hop out of the car and head into the first store. Laf pulls some sweaters and graphic tees for me while I pick out a few pairs of pants. We make it through three stores, including an electronics place where Laf insists that I get a laptop and phone, and finally make it to the bookstore. I pick up a few new notebooks and make my way over to the cashiers, Lafayette following behind. I reach to pull out my wallet but they grab my hand and lay the cash on the table. 

“Laf I can pay!”

“I know Mon lion but I insist.” 

I frown at them but they ignore me and pay anyways. When we leave the store they throw their arm around my shoulders.

“Mon petite lion please don’t frown.” 

I continue to frown until Laf takes one of their flowers and sticks it behind my ear. I give them a small smile and their eyes light up. We make our way through the food court but out of nowhere Laf stops dead in their tracks. 

“Laf what’s wrong?” 

They don’t even look at me, they’re staring at two guys sitting at a table not too far from us watching one of them get up and approach.

“Lafayette is that you?” The unknown guy says. 

Laf’s arm falls away from my shoulders and they look like they want to run but they can’t move. 

“Holy shit it is you, what are you wearing? Are you a fucking tranny? Oh my god wait ‘till I tell George and Martha or hell even the whole damn school about this. You’re an abomination.” The guys says as he pulls his phone out to snap a picture. 

“Why don’t you watch your mouth asshole?!”

“Who the fuck are you?” 

“My name is Alexander and you better watch your mouth when you talk about my sibling you homophobic piece of shit Neanderthal.”

Lafayette looks at me in shock and the unnamed asshole has his jaw hitting the floor. 

“Why don’t you close your mouth hun or you’ll start to catch flies and then you’ll really be a toad.” I snap as I grab Laf’s hand and pull them away. 

When we get out of the mall Laf pulls me into a tight hug like they’re afraid I’m gonna blow away. I rub circles into their back and shush them as they cry into my shoulder.

“That was incredible, Alex I can’t thank you enough. I’m sorry you had to get in the middle of that.”

“There is no need to apologize Laf, honestly I wanted to say a lot more. Who was that douche?” 

“Thomas Jefferson. You’ll probably see him again when you start coming to school.”

“Hey if he starts something again he can always just catch these hands.” I smile as I fake throwing punches.

Laf actually chuckles and we make our way home. When we pull up to the house there’s another car already there. “I didn’t think they’d be home yet.” Laf says the panic evident in their voice. 

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to tell them but Mon petite lion I am terrified.” 

I reach over and grab his hand. “If you want to tell them then I will be right next to you.” 

Laf gives me a wavy smile before they exit the car and I follow close behind. They take a deep breath before turning the door handle and walking in. 

“Gilbert, Alex did you two have fun?” George says as he turns to face us. His smile doesn’t falter. Laf looks like they’re going to cry. They’re holding my hand like I’m their lifeline.  
“George, I’m gender fluid.” Laf practically blurts out. 

The room is dead silent. Lafayette’s hand is shaking in mine. George gets up and approaches them. Laf drops my hand. They’re still shaking. George throws his arms around Laf.  
“We will always love you no matter what.”

Laf bursts into tears. I feel my own eyes well up. 

“I use they/them pronouns.” Laf grins as George releases him.

George nods. Laf and I retreat upstairs, bags upon bags in tow. When I get to my room I set up my laptop and put all my clothes away. When I’m done sorting clothes I begin transferring all my notebooks onto a word document. Although I will always prefer the feel of a pencil on paper, I appreciate the fact that computer documents cannot be lost so easily. 

It seems like no time has passed when the front door open and a few loud voices. The stairs creak and Lafayette pokes their head in my door. 

“Mon petite lion, I have a few people spending the night that I’d like you to meet if you want to.”

I warily agree and follow Laf to their room. When they open the door I freeze. There are two boys waiting. One of them is dressed like he’s been working all day and seems kind of quiet. The other has very familiar freckles and striking green eyes that lock right into mine. 

“Alex?”

“John?” 

The tears start to fall before we even reach each other, we hug like it’s the last thing we’ll ever do. John’s crying into my shoulder and I can feel his heart racing.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” He whispers.

“I promised my dear Laurens and you know I don’t break promises.”

John pulls back for a second but only to lock our lips together. It’s been so long but it feels just like before. When we finally pull away we both realize where we are.

“Mon petite lion would you care to explain?” Laf says a smirk very present on their face. 

“Okay well about ten years ago I was placed in a foster home in South Carolina which just happened to be next door to John. It only took four years of friendship before we got together for about a year in secret. Before John’s father found out. Needless to say he was beyond angry. He worked with my foster family to have me sent away, convinced that I was going to ruin his son’s life. That’s the last time I saw him.” Although I’m still angry remembering what happened I cannot keep myself from smiling over the fact that I finally have him back.

“That explains why we haven’t seen John date anyone.” The unknown guy says with a grin.

John blushes. 

“J were you waiting for me?” I grin. His blush grows redder and I burst out laughing. He hugs me close to his chest and rest his head on top of mine. 

“I am never letting you go again.” He says. His voice is so solid and sure that I can only nod. 

Eventually we all end up sitting on the floor, the unnamed boy revealing himself as Hercules Mulligan and Laf’s boyfriend. I’m sitting in John’s lap, head laid on his chest while Laf tries to decide on a movie to watch. Laf picks Mulan and I grin. I didn’t get to watch much television in my past foster homes but I’ve seen this movie a thousand times.  
We’re almost halfway into the movie and Laf and Herc have already passed out. Music begins to cue and I can’t keep myself from singing along.

Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns  
Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?  
You're the saddest bunch I ever met  
But you can bet before we're through  
Mister, I'll make a man out of you

When the songs over I look up to see J with a thousand watt smile.

“Your voice is just as beautiful as before.” John whispers in a voice that reminds me of stolen moments in bedrooms and backyards that are miles away.

“I’m so sorry about what happened.” I apologize as I lay back on his chest.

“You have absolutely no reason to be sorry. I would do all of it again. My mother somehow heard about it and my father’s actions persuaded her to come back and get full custody of me.”

“That’s amazing J!”

“Hey remember when we snuck out to the beach and camped out in the sand”

“We lied on blankets and I counted your freckles because they were more beautiful than all of the stars.” 

John pressed his lips to mine and I melt into him. He feels safe. Just like all those years ago, when he kisses me I am at a loss for words. There is nothing I could say to describe how he makes me feel. Words like secure, cherished, and free come to mind but none of them seem to fit quite right. We break for air, lay back, and snuggle up. With my head against his chest I allow his heartbeat to lull me into sleep and finally I don’t wake with nightmares. 

When I finally wake up I notice Laf and Herc giggling in the corner with their smart phones pointed right at us. I look up at J, his eyes still shut but a soft grin on his face. I smile and slowly press my lips to his, it only takes a second for him to press back. His eyes flutter open and he smiles at me. He kisses my nose and I blush.  
“Good morning to you too.” He says.

Then Laf and Herc ruin the moment. Their loud camera snapping noise and laughter almost cover up the creaking of the stairs. The door opens and George walks in. J still has me snuggled onto his chest, meanwhile my face is fire hydrant red. George looks over at us, a look of surprise flashes over his face but a grin follows close behind as he tells us that dinner’s ready. 

The four of us scramble down the stairs chasing the smell of fresh bread and spices. George has Laf set the table and Martha begins to move the food out to the large oak dining table. John seats himself next to me with a fork in one hand and my hand in the other. George grins and I honestly can’t help but smile just as wide back. For the first time after about six foster homes I feel like I could really stay here. I feel peaceful.

Dinner proceeds with a dramatic retelling of how John and I met (told by Lafayette), celebrations for Martha winning her most recent case, and Lafayette quite loudly praising me for sassing Jefferson today.

“All that happened was I told him off for giving Laf attitude. It really wasn’t that exciting.” I say blushing over all the attention.

“Mon lapin, it was amazing! You guys should have seen Thomas’s face!” Laf shouts from the other side of the table. 

“I think it would’ve been amazing to see you put that jerk in his place.” John says as he throws his arm across my shoulders. 

“Well you’re biased.” I say, sticking my tongue out at him. 

“I’m glad I am.” He says fondly as he kisses my forehead. 

After helping George and Martha clean off the table we all excuse ourselves upstairs. I wander into my room, toss on an old green oversized hoodie and some old pajama pants, grab my laptop, and head into Laf’s room. John practically squeaks when I walk in before basically tackling me. Through the indiscernible squealing and muttering I hear his talking about how cute I am. 

“How do you still have these pants?!” John exclaims when he finally releases me.

I hadn’t even looked at what they were when I threw them on. They were the turtle pants that John gave me for my birthday the last year we were together.

“Why would I ever get rid of these?” I ask. John just continues to grin and blush like a dork. 

Laf and Herc seem to be setting up a scrabble board and I see John’s face fall. “Oh this will be fun.” I giggle. Laf and Herc have no idea what they’re getting into. 

Halfway into the game I’m up by about fifty points and Lafayette and Herc are very aware of the mistake they’ve made. 

“Glyceraldehyde, put me down for ninety six points!” I cheer while everyone else groans. Laf and Herc have been yawning for the past ten minutes and John can barely keep his eyes open. I grab Rent off of Laf’s movie shelf and put the scrabble board away. The movie starts up and we all snuggle up on Laf’s huge bed. 

John and I don’t even get to La Vi Boheme before we’re both out cold. My slumber doesn’t last long though, although sleeping with John eliminates the nightmares it doesn’t keep me from waking to Lafayette’s loud crying. I open my eyes toward the television and immediately understand as I join them in sobbing to the tune of Goodbye Love. Through my intense sobbing I don’t even notice John beginning to stir. I only notice after I hear him sniffle back tears threatening to fall. Even Herc has a few stray tears but that really isn’t too surprising because contradictory to his appearance he’s actually a huge softie. Laf has their head buried into Herc chest and even through the tears I have to smile. The two of them look so happy together. I wonder if that’s the same as what they think when they look at John and I. I smile, listening to the steady rhythm of John’s heart as my eyes flutter shut once more. 

We are all awoken when George bursts into the room bright and early.

“School time guys, Alex’s first day!” George shouts

The four of use roll out of bed, John and Herc retreating to different room to change. Before I leave I turn to Laf rummaging through their closet. 

“You should dress in what makes you feel comfortable, remember anyone who talks shit is going to catch these hands.” 

Laf smiles and begins pulling things with excitement. I grin as I walk over to my room. I figure since it’s my first day an old hoodie and jeans isn’t such a good outfit. I pull a nice green sweater, some pants that don’t have thirty different holes, and toss on my glasses instead of contacts. Staring into the vanity I pull my hair up into something resembling a messy bun and make my way back Laf. They smile when I walk in. They’re dressed in a long black skirt and I deep red blouse with black and red roses in their hair. Laf walks up to me with a handful of flowers and begins placing daisies and lavender in my messy bun. 

“Mon lapin I wasn’t aware that you wear glasses.” Laf points out while drawing on his perfect winged liner.

“I usually wear contacts but I really didn’t feel like wearing them.”

“Well I think you look absolutely adorable.” John announces as he and Herc return. 

I blush as John kisses my nose and grabs his backpack. I run back to my room and fill my new messenger bag which is covered in pride and protest pins with a few books and general school supplies. When we get downstairs George hands out breakfast and gives me a copy of my schedule. Laf, Herc, and John immediately begin comparing it to theirs. We only have four classes a day. The first two today I have with John and Laf and the other two I have with Herc and Laf. Tomorrow seems to be the same although my last block will have all of us which just happens to be math, algebra two to be exact. 

George drives us all, considering he works at our school. All of us use the car ride to remind Laf that we’re here for them and that they can totally do this. When we step out of the car Herc throws his arm around Laf’s shoulders and John grabs my hand. Thankfully according to my schedule paper all four of our lockers are right next to each other so we all walk through the halls together. Needless to say we grab people’s attention. Aside from the stares everything seemed to be going fine until we stumbled upon a certain loudmouth, arrogant, douche. 

“Well if it isn’t the tranny and it’s freak show.” Jefferson jeers. 

“Watch your mouth Jefferson, you don’t want a repeat of yesterday do you?” I say through a clenched jaw as I feel my blood begin to boil. John gives my hand a reassuring squeeze and Jefferson’s eyes fall right to where they lock. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Laurens I thought you were the normal one. Didn’t your daddy teach you better?” He smirks.

I feel John tense up but I’m the one who lunges. I slam my fist into Jefferson’s nose and there’s an audible crack. I step back and John puts his arm around me and steers me towards the restroom before teachers get called over. He takes a washcloth and cleans the blood off my knuckles. He’s silent but the air feels comfortable. We take a few minutes to calm down before heading off to English. 

When we get there Laf is chatting with two girls and the teacher isn’t even in yet. I take the seat between Laf and John. Laf’s arms are around me before I even have a chance to blink. 

“Mon lapin are you okay?! I’m so sorry about Jefferson.” They apologize so quickly it soon degenerates into pure mumbling. 

“Laf I’m completely fine. You should not be apologizing for that magenta clad fuck.” I say as the two unnamed girls turn their attention towards me with small gasps.

“Forgive me for not introducing you Alex, this is Angelica and Eliza Schuyler.” Laf says gesturing to each girl. 

“Alexander Hamilton.” I say with a nod to the girls. 

We engage in simple conversation for a few more minutes until the teacher walks in. A few seconds after the lesson starts a blob of magenta walks in. His nose definitely looks broken and I can barely keep myself from grinning. Jefferson grabs a few papers from the teacher and gives me a death glare as he walks out. Laf taps my elbow and I shake my head. 

The class goes on pretty easily, we’re reading Lord of the Flies so I’m actually a little ahead. Most of the questions either go to me or Aaron Burr. He looks like he knows what he’s talking about but he’s not exactly forthcoming on any particular stances. Most kids just mindlessly agree to statements which annoys me to absolutely no end. John seems to sense my annoyance and reaches over to grab my hand. I smile at him. I see someone out of the corner of my eye look from me to john and down to our intertwined hands. I’m grateful for John holding my hand which I was tempted to flip him off.

Finally class is over and the three of us grab our things ready to head off to art before the unknown boy with the wandering eyes approaches us.  
“Laurens is there something you want to tell everyone?” He says.

John looks perplexed. 

“Jesus, we were going to let your friendship with this fucking tranny pass if you told us it was some sort of charity case but now you’ve gone and joined it’s harem of homos.”  
John grabbed my hand, sensing that I was about to lunge forward (which honestly I was)

“Lee I’d prefer if you didn’t refer to my boyfriend and my friends as that. As for informing y’all, I really don’t think I am required to announce my relationship and receive your approval.” John says with a satisfied smirk on his face. 

Lee’s face falls as John, Laf, and I make out way out of the classroom and over to our next class of the day. 

That class ran with little to no issues and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. John led us over to the table Herc had saved for us but suddenly there was a group of idiots blocking our path. 

“What exactly does this gaggle of douchebags need now?” I questioned looking to J for some sort of answer. 

“We simply want to make things even. For Jefferson.” A shorter boy said who seemed to have the same quiet air around him as Herc but definitely not the same underlying softness. The two boys, Lee and Burr, standing close to him nodded in agreement. Before I even caught it his fist shot out and slammed straight into my face. 

At least I thought it did. Instead of the brute force of this man’s fist there was nothing. One of John’s arms was in front of my face blocking the boy’s fist while the other was readying itself to swing. I grabbed J’s arm and pulled him back over to the table and the group of boys dissipated. We took our seats next to Laf and Herc. Herc tried making some jokes to defuse the situation but I didn’t really hear them. He could’ve been hurt and it would’ve been all your fault. You messed up his whole day, no not just day but his reputation. He gave up his others friends for what? You? You’re just some fucked up little creole bastard. He’s can do so much better and he seemed to manage just fine until you got here. Before the droplets even fell from my eyes I bolted from the cafeteria and to the closest room I could find. I darted into the seemingly abandoned history section of bookshelves and curled up with my head on my knees. “That voice is right. I ruined everything for John. Not just now but back then too. I have never deserved him before so why is now any different. I ruined things for him and Laf. God no wonder my father left, who the hell in their right fucking mind would stick around for this?” I was mumbling so loud I didn’t even hear the footsteps. 

“I would.” 

My head snaps up and through the waterfall of tears I watch John sit down next to me. He opens his arms and I practically jump onto his lap while placing my head on his chest.  
“How much did you hear?”

“Enough. You never ruined anything for me Alexander. You made everything better. You have always been the ray of perfect sunlight that casts away all the dark skies in my life. I love you more than anything and so do Laf and Herc. I don’t need people in my life who can’t accept me for who I am or who I love.” 

“You deserve so much better than me though. You are as pure as fresh snow but as warm as the perfect summer day. You are an entire field of sunflowers. You my dear Laurens are as beautiful and utterly magnificent as every single star in the night sky.” 

We stay like that, cuddled together on the floor of the library surrounded by books, for a while until the bell rings and just like that it’s over. We grab our bags, take a breath, and make our way off to our classes. 

Choir with Laf and Herc is perfect, our teacher is a young woman who has more energy than a Chihuahua who just snorted a mound of coke but at least she’s not annoying about it. We leave the choir room and make our way off to science. Herc and Laf grab a lab table and wave me over as I grab our worksheets off the front table. Burr, Lee, and Madison walk in close behind us. Lee reaches down and grabs the bottom three papers. 

“Wouldn’t wanna touch the same papers as those fags, it might infect me just like it did to John!” Lee announces to the classroom. I clench my fists and ready myself to hit him before the teacher opens her mouth. 

“Mr. Lee I seriously suggest you avoid using discriminatory terms or disgusting statements in this room. Please remember that my wife is the vice principle.” She says, her voice cold and deathly serious. 

A grin spreads across my face as Lee’s head drops and he makes his way to the lab table his friends occupy. The teacher waves me over and pulls me out into the hallway.  
“Alexander is it? I’m Ms. Easton. I am so sorry about Lee’s behavior. I just want you to know that if you ever have any trouble or you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”  
My eyes moisten as I try to formulate a response. She’s the first teacher to every try to defend me. “Thank you so much Ms. Easton, my friends and I appreciate it a lot. I’m just sorry for the disturbance.” 

“Oh no no no Alexander, there’s no reason for you to apologize for that bigot. You did nothing wrong please don’t let him get inside your head.” Ms. Easton urges.  
I nod my head. She gives me a quick smile and leads me back into the class. Herc and Laf give me group hug. Ms. Easton takes a second to explain today’s experiment of making a DNA fingerprint. Laf and I erupt in giggles when we watch Herc try to inject the simulation DNA into the gel wells. We placed our gels in the water box thing and made our way back to the table. I was so lost in my head I didn’t even notice the foot that shot out in front of me. Thankfully my brain caught up fast enough for my hands to shoot out before my face had a very hard introduction with the floor. I hop up quickly with Laf’s help and take a look back to see yet another shit eating grin on Lee’s face. I plop down in the stool at our lab table and take a few deep breaths while Laf makes absolutely sure I’m okay. The rest of the class flies by. 

The four of us meet up in George’s classroom, where three of us will be tomorrow morning according to the schedule, and wait for George to return from a teachers meeting. John and I sit down on the floor by the window. I pull out my bun and tuck the flowers into my bag as I grab a book. John throws one arm over my shoulders and runs his other hand through my hair as he reads over my shoulder. Laf and Herc have run off to talk to some teachers before they leave. With rays of sunshine fall over us I decide that focusing on reading is futile now. I put the book down and lean into J, shutting my eyes and listening to his soft steady heartbeat. After all the bullshit today I’m glad we get this one quiet moment. J and I both begin to nod off, his hands still running through my hair and me practically in his lap. I fall asleep hearing John’s steady heartbeat and some soft footsteps pacing through the hall. 

George shakes us awake after he returns from his meeting. Laf and Herc are standing in the corner watching us like loving parents which caused John and I to burst out into a fit of hysterical giggles and our second parents to turn beet red and George just stood in the middle of this with a confused but amused grin. We followed George to the car with smiles on our faces and all seemed well but little did we know what was awaiting us at home. 

We pulled up to the house to see a car unfamiliar to everyone but me. My heart stopped. Then my heart raced. I couldn’t breathe. John watched me and frantically began asking what’s wrong but I couldn’t hear him. All I could hear was that voice. I could feel his boots in my stomach. George pulled up to the house and stopped the car. It looked like he told John to stay with me while he took everyone inside to figure out what was going on. John hops up in the passenger seat with me and pulls me close. Brushing my hair, whispering, placing soft kisses to my forehead, reminding me that I’m here and I’m okay. I can breathe again. I’m still shaking but at least my heart has slowed its pace to a marathon runner instead of light speed.

“He’s here.” I whisper my voice close to trembling.

“Whose car is that Alex?” 

“James.” 

John has a moment of sudden realization before he hops in the front seat and starts up the car. He pulls out of the drive way and head down the road. His hands clench the steering wheel and his knuckles are bone white. We drive until John pulls up to a small bookstore. My heart slows as we walk inside. John pulls out to call George.

“Hey Mr. Washington, sorry we stole your car but I had to get Alex out of there. It’s some stuff from the past but Alex should be the one to tell you. Yes sir we’ll be back at a reasonable hour just please make sure he’s gone. Wait, WHAT? No he can’t do that? Alex can’t have him that close! No I understand that you don’t know why but just trust me. Yes I know you have no control but that doesn’t change how bad this is now does it. Sorry that was harsh of me. Okay sir, I’ll call you when we’re on our way. Goodbye.” John’s face is blank and then he turns to me and his eyes look so dark. 

“John what’s wrong?” I ask grabbing his hand.

“Alex, James was over there because he’s moving in next door and wanted to be a friendly neighborhood.” The word friendly drips with venom. 

I’m sure at this point I look like a ghost. John pulls me into a hug and I cling to him for dear life. 

“Why don’t you go grab a few books and I’ll see if I can get us a quiet spot.” That brings back a flood of memories. Whenever James or Maria would punish me John would sneak me out a window as fast as he could and we’d go hide at this little bookstore near my house where the owner would let us go sit in the back office where we’d read for hours.  
I grab a small stack of novels from a variety of genres and meet John back near the front desk. The manager and he seem to know each other as she hands him a Tupperware container and unlocks the office. I follow John in and we take a seat on the carpet under the desk. Hiding ourselves in our own little world, just us and a few books, safe. John opens the Tupperware to reveal a pile of chocolate chip cookies. I grin. 

“Ms. Waverly is a friend of my mothers.” He explains as he hands me a cookie. I accept his offering and open my book. 

John opens his phone to find that not only is it nine thirty but that he has one missed call from George and five from Lafayette. I pull mine out and discover a similar situation. “Guess it’s time to go.” He says with a bit of a laugh. I nod and run off to put the books back before meeting John at the car. The ride home is filled with us trying to keep the mood light, playing old cheesy pop songs and singing every lyric. When we pull up to the house for the second time that day his car is gone but only one driveway over. John and I make our way up to the house and pull on those still intimidating door knocker. George swings the door open not even a second after we knock and yanks us both into a huge hug. 

“Never do that again, okay! Jesus, boy you scared the shit out of us. After talking to John I was afraid someone hurt you and then you didn’t answer and we thought you were both just gone.” George speaks quickly, his voice trembling a little. 

“We’re both okay Dad. John just took me to a bookstore and we lost track of time. Please don’t be mad at him, it’s my fault. I was the one who freaked out.” I mumble the last bit and John yanks out of the hug to look me straight in the eye. 

“Don’t you dare blame this on yourself Alex, you had every right to freak out. I was angry too. I couldn’t be here either because I would’ve killed him.” John looks so serious. I nod before I feel wet drops hitting my cheeks. John pulls me to him and yet again I cling to him, he’s my lifeline. 

After all the tear are done George takes the two of us over to the couches. He takes a seat next to Martha while John and I take the couch across from them. 

“Now Alex I can see that this is a tough subject but I need to know what happened with James and why you ran.” 

I cringe at his name and John, as kindly as he can, asks George not to say his name. 

“Does he have a woman with him?” I ask 

“I believe so, he told us he was moving here with his wife and their seven year old adopted son. I believe his name is Philip. Why do you ask?” Martha answers.  
My heart drops as a child is mentioned. I was that young when I went to them. No child deserves that man.

“Maria, that’s her name. They were my foster parents for five years. I came to them when I was seven. Most days of those five years I wished I wouldn’t wake up. I was in the hospital at least two or even three times a month but considering it was a small southern town, it caught no one’s attention. He would beat me for something as simple as not making my bed. If we’re being completely honest I didn’t want to be anywhere near that bed. Things that happened there made me sleep on the old wood floor most nights. Maria was almost as bad. She wouldn’t lay a hand on me but she would run off to tell him anything I’d done. I still feel bad for her. After all, I wasn’t the only one getting beaten. The day I got to leave was when John’s father caught us together in his room and marched me back to my house, demanding that I be sent away to whatever shithole I came from. That caused them too many problems so they sent me away. Although I couldn’t bear to leave John, I had to get out of that house. So while they locked me out on the porch with my raggedy bag, waiting for the social worker, I climbed up to John’s window and promised him I’d find him someday. Then I got in the car and left for the foster family I’d stay with for the next five years. I never told anyone what he did to me because the night I left he pulled me aside before he locked the door and said ‘If you ever tell anyone all the fun we had here I swear I will find you and your faggy little boyfriend and make sure you both end up six feet fuckin’ under.’ So I stayed silent.” 

George and Martha were quiet for a long time. Tears were streaming down both their cheeks. I looked up at John to see tears streaking over his perfect freckled cheeks. I wipe the tears away as George begins to speak. 

“Alex I am so sorry for everything that happened to you there. Although I would like to walk over to the house and wring the man’s neck, there is still nothing we can do. That’s the thing I’d like to apologize for the most, the fact that I cannot do anything. John, I am so glad that you are here with my son and that you took him away from the house. I cannot thank you enough. If I could kick him out of that house I would but that unfortunately isn’t possible. If you boys wanted to go to the police that would be a different story but for that we need proof.” George says with his fists clenched similarly to John’s on that steering wheel. I flinch a little when he says proof and Johns hand immediately goes to my back. I look up at him with wide eyes, is he serious? Would showing them do any good? John knows exactly what I’m thinking and nods. I take a deep breath and pull off my sweater. The cool air hits my back as I turn it towards George and Martha. I hear Martha gasp and shrink my head down into my shoulders. I guess I should’ve expected this. I mean, not only did they get a damaged child they didn’t ask for but now here I am showing the deep jagged scars in my back. He hit me with everything from knives to whips to metal chain and anything in between. After a few moments John pulls my sweater back over my head and pulls me back into him. He was the only person to ever see those until now. 

“I don’t want to go to the police.” I say softly. 

George looks shocked. Martha nods her head. John just stares for a moment. 

“Alex please, we can finally get rid of this guy.” He says, attempting to keep his voice calm.

“Yes and he could also get rid of you, I’m not risking that. Not just after I got you back.”

John looks shocked for a moment before he remembers James’s friends in not great places and nods. George still looks shocked. So I take a brief moment to explain that James has lots of bad friends who have seen John and that I know firsthand what they can do. He nods after a moment. John decides that both of us have had far too much excitement for one night and walks me up the steps. We go to my room. He texts his mother before sitting on the bed next to me. I fall apart. I sob myself into slumber.  
I wake somewhere around three am to a sound on my window. I carefully creep out of bed trying desperately not to wake John. When I open the green curtains I jump back with a shout. John shoots up and runs to my side. I point to the window and John reads the message with the same picture of fear on his face as mine. 

“Let’s have some fun Lex!”

For the second time that day my lungs forgot how to work. I panicked. John panicked. We were huddled in a pile of pure fear by the window when George, Martha, and Laf all poured in. Laf immediately joined our cuddle pile trying desperately to calm us while George and Martha frantically questioned what was going on. My voice failed me so I just pointed one trembling finger towards the message on my window. George took one look at the note before bolting out the door. All of us followed close behind, George’s anger propelling us out of our fear paralysis. George marched himself, and unknowingly us, up the steps and slammed a fist on the door that held back the villain in my nightmares. John pulled me closer as the door opened and he stepped out. 

“Hello there Mr. Washington, may I ask what the meaning of this delightful visit it at three in the morning is?” James asks, caking on the charm. George doesn’t miss a beat before his fist is colliding with James’s face. James stumbles backwards. Maria comes running out of the house, frantically racing to her husband whose nose is now spilling blood.  
“Stay the fuck away from my family or I will make absolutely sure you rot in prison where you belong.” George threatens, voice steady and dangerous, before turning back to us and leading all of us home. John and I make our way back upstairs, him walking behind me keeping a watchful eye for anything suspicious. John insisted on checking the room before he let me walk in. A moment later he returned, pleased to discover nobody hiding, and finally got back into bed with me. I snuggled to his chest trying desperately to sleep but James’s face kept appearing.

George decided that maybe going to school was a less than stellar plan for the day after such a sleepless night although he still had to go into work. All of us agreed and not long after a quick text John, Laf, Herc, and I were all piled onto the couch. Laf had fallen asleep not long after Herc arrived and I had nodded off a few times but deep sleep continued to evade me. John made a valiant attempt to comfort me but after the events of last night he finally dozed off like everyone else. Eventually I pulled myself out of the slumber pile and made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed a quick snack and took it upstairs. I set my snack on the bedside table and pulled my laptop onto the bed. Back when James would hurt me I’d always write to my mom after. She’d have known what to do if she were still here. I open up a new document and type out all of my feelings about last night and everything that’s happened. After venting I pull out one of my old journals and skim through

….Tonight James got angry because I didn’t wash his laundry right. I didn’t know that you shouldn’t put colors with whites. I got a bad beating for this and since he needed money to get new work shirts he took payment from a few of his friends to have some “fun’ with me. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t fun at all. What did I do to deserve this? I know, I deserved it because I’m a fucking idiot who can’t even wash clothes correctly….  
…. Maria told James about me forgetting to take the trash out. When he got home from work he threw me around and then shoved my shaking body in a garbage bag and threatened to tie it up and throw me out with the next load if I didn’t stop fucking up. That night when my door creaked open I tried to act like I was asleep but that’s never worked before. At least he didn’t use the paddle this time….  
All the other entries are almost the same thing. I’m so engrossed in these old memories that I don’t even hear my door open. George stands in the doorway looking at me with sad and tired eyes. 

“Can I come in?” 

I shrug my shoulders and George takes that as a yes and begins walking into the room and taking a seat at the foot of my bed. “I left work early today, I kept thinking about that man.” George says with his jaw clenched. “I’ve been thinking about him all day too.” I respond softly. George looks nervous. I hand him the journal still clenched in my hand. George’s eyes flicker over the page, color draining from his face with every word. Finally he puts down the journal, wipes his eyes, and asks me “Can I hug you?” I nod and pulls me tightly into his arms. I didn’t even know I had tears left but there they were, dripping onto George’s shoulder. We stayed like that for a while with George reassuring me that nothing like that would ever happen again and that he and Martha would to everything in their power to protect John and me. What shocked us out of the moment were the pounding footsteps blasting through the hall. I jumped out of George’s hug and scrambled back at the head of the bed only to see John rush into the room. 

“Oh thank God! I woke up and you weren’t there and I thought he’d gotten you and I couldn’t find you anywhere. I thought I’d lost you again. I’m so sorry for falling asleep, I was supposed to be here for you.” John babbled as he made his way over to me. I let John take me into his arms, brushing through his hair with my fingers to calm him down a bit. George smiled at the sight but one of those bittersweet, sad smiles. John eventually relaxes and George heads downstairs to check on the two other sleeping children. John notices the journal and looks at me with questions emblazoned in his eyes. “I wrote down most of the stuff that happened while I stayed with him, it helped me cope a bit. I was reading through it earlier.” John picks up the journal and asks if he can look through it. I allow him to but warn him about what’s inside. He doesn’t get through one entry before pulling me to him and reminding me that that time is over and James will never hurt me again. He swears to me he’ll kill that man and I remind him how bad of an idea that is. We laugh for a minute over the idea but we’re both so goddamn tired that we end up crashing on my bed. 

We wake up hours later only to the sound off burning food and shouting. John runs out first and I follow close behind. As we descend the stairs we find George at the door engaging in a screaming match with the demon who haunts my mind. Martha stands to his side trying to get him to just shut the door but George won’t budge. Laf and Herc are curled up on the couch, tears pouring down Laf’s face, and whatever was for dinner is currently burning to a crisp in the kitchen. John tells me to go deal with the food while he goes to help Martha. I get what used to be a roast out of the oven before hearing James shout “Well look who it is, the little faggot with the rich daddy who fucked up my life.” With that comment I march myself into the living room and make my way to the door. 

“Don’t you ever fucking speak to him that way ever again. You have absolutely no power here. Take your worthless deadbeat ass back to you house and stay the fuck away from my family.” I say before swinging the door closed in his face. George and Martha stare at me in disbelief while John scoops me up in his arms and spins me in the air. “That was incredible! Alex, I am so proud of you. You are absolutely incredible!” He exclaims. John puts me down and I smile up at him and kiss his nose. “It felt amazing to finally put him in his place.” I admit with a grin. Laf and Herc join our hugging and, after waking from their shock, so do George and Martha. George decides celebratory pizza is in order “Due to Alex’s bravery and not at all involving the burning crisp that was left in the oven…” He tries to cover. All of us sit down at the table and pull out homework that was never finished.

I help John edit his English paper although I’m not really much for editing. Even though the whole exchange with James made me feel better it also completely drained me, I’m having trouble just keeping my eyes open let alone doing real work. After asking me for the third time if his semi colon was used correctly John just picked me up from my seat and carried me up the steps.


End file.
